Prime Minister Netanyahu said Friday that the IDF struck 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon with intensity, and killed dozens of operatives, as he had ordered. The announcement caps hours of heavy Israeli airstrikes after a deadly Hezbollah attack on troops that violated the ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that the IDF has struck 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and killed dozens of operatives, acting on his directive to hit the organization forcefully. The statement, delivered just after 16:38 Jerusalem, follows hours of heavy IDF airstrikes that began earlier in the day. The Zioneer first reported at 16:38 Jerusalem that the IDF had conducted over 150 airstrikes since midnight, with strikes targeting sites in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. This new figure from Netanyahu — 150 targets struck and dozens of operatives killed — matches the scale previously reported by the IDF, with the prime minister now attributing the tally to his direct order.
The development caps a rapidly escalating sequence. At 14:22 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Netanyahu eulogized Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, commander of the 52nd Battalion, and said he had ordered over 80 strikes following a Hezbollah attack that killed four soldiers overnight. By 14:42 Jerusalem, the desk reported that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz formally defined Hezbollah attacks on IDF troops in southern Lebanon as ceasefire violations, ordering massive strikes — hitting over 80 targets, including deep ones not struck in months. At 16:38 Jerusalem, the IDF confirmed a further escalation, reporting more than 150 airstrikes since midnight. Netanyahu's Friday evening confirmation effectively merges the earlier 80+ figure with the broader wave of strikes.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday at 14:42 Jerusalem, the escalation was triggered by a Hezbollah tank strike that killed four IDF soldiers of the 52nd Battalion, which Netanyahu called a 'heinous attack' and a 'blatant ceasefire violation.' The broader context includes a sustained campaign: on Sunday Jun 14 at 00:06 Jerusalem, the IDF reported striking more than 70 Hezbollah sites and eliminating seven operatives from an underground route. On Saturday Jun 6 at 21:57 Jerusalem, the IDF struck approximately 150 Hezbollah infrastructure sites over a weekend. The current round represents the most intense wave of strikes reported in weeks, with the prime minister publicly taking ownership of the operational directive.
Hezbollah has not confirmed the casualty figures cited by Netanyahu. The group earlier this week claimed 25 military operations against Israeli forces over a 24-hour period (Jun 7, 09:19 Jerusalem), but those claims remain independently unverified. The precise number of operatives killed in Friday's strikes has not been corroborated by a second source, and no independent assessment of damage or civilian casualties in Lebanon has been published.
3 developments
- StrongNetanyahu, Katz define Hezbollah attacks on IDF troops in southern Lebanon as ceasefire violations, ordering massive strikes
- DevelopingIDF says it struck 70+ Hezbollah sites, eliminated seven operatives from underground route
- DevelopingIDF strikes 150 Hezbollah targets; officers wounded in ground encounters, drone incidents
- StrongNetanyahu: Hezbollah will pay 'heavy price,' IDF instructed to strike with 'immense force'
Source and signal
- Internal intake